The 22 year-old athlete shined in a tight battle, passing the title champion Sébastien Toutant in front of thousands of spectators.T

he Ride Shakedown competition, which includes a big air section followed by a rail setup with 4 options, brought together 33 riders who went above and beyond to impress the judges in the hopes of being part of the 10 athletes continuing into the finals.

Riders were allotted 90 minutes in which they were required to perform three judged runs. The best two runs combined formed the final score. This laid-back approach, at the heart of the Ride Shakedown’s unique competition format, is highly appreciated by athletes; it allows them to perform to their full extent and give the crowd a show.

The level of excitement could not have been higher, Truchon of Sainte-Adèle and Toutant of L’Assomption being tied after the first two runs. Truchon took the lead during the final round, succeeding in his front side 1260 double cork on the jump, followed by a boardslide to fakie on the triple flat ramp, earning himself a total of 65.2 points for his two top performances.

“I am really satisfied by my last run. It was a great competition for Sébastien and myself. Next year, things are going to get even more intense!” said the winner who walks away with a $20,000 purse.

On his third run, Toutant attempted a triple cork on the big air, however the 20 year-old rider missed his landing, just falling short of the rails and giving the lead to his opponent. His combined score of 63.9 for his first two runs earned him second place and a $10,000 purse. 

“I came really close to landing my triple cork. I just sunk a bit too much in the snow. I’m still really pumped, we gave a great show and second place is better than nothing!”, admits the champion of the Ride Shakedown in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

British Columbia native John Versteeg (Whistler, 23 years old) closed out the podium, collecting a total of 52.9 between his first and third runs.

Respectively in fourth and fifth place, Matts Kulisek (Morin Heights, 27 years old) and Charles Reid (Mont-Tremblant, 22 years old) will be $3,000 and $2,000 richer.

The crowd was treated to a slew of events throughout the day, such as the Snowboard Canada Magazine autograph session and the halftime show, which included a segment allowing young riders aged 13 and under to shred on the rail setup, a new component this year. This was followed by the skateboard show featuring professional skateboarders on the DC Shoes mini-ramp set up in the village. Skateboarder Patrice Tremblay won the crowd over with a backside tail flip in, awarding him the $2,000 cash prize at stake.

Patryck Bernier and Brendan O’Dowd of Dizzle Entertainment, producers of the Ride Shakedown, could not be happier about the turn out of this 12th edition, both for the riders and the spectators. Over 20,000 people bundled up to assist two event-filled days of fierce competition.

"To have so many people on the site of the competition and in the village proves that we have become a must for fans. It is incredibly rewarding to know that the crowd continues to support the event, their presence being strong year after year!", exclaimed Patryck Bernier.

Along with the many Canadians competing in the event, the Ride Shakedown welcomed several athletes from the United States, Japan and Norway.

Television broadcast of the 2013 Ride Shakedown

The Ride Shakedown 2013 at Mont Saint-Sauveur will also be featured in your living room thanks to Videotron and our two partner broadcasters TVA Sports and Sportsnet. The 60 minutes Ride Shakedown 2013 highlights show will be broadcasted on TVA Sports April 13^th at 11:30 am, and the English version will be on Sportsnet April 20^th at 5 pm. You can now browse through the Ride Shakedown exclusive section on channel 900 as well as on illico télé, illico.tv, illico.tv on iPad and illico mobile platforms, where you will find highlight shows from 2006 to 2012 and the Ride Shakedown documentary Le Ride Shakedown 10 ans plus tard. For full details on all of these broadcasts, head to www.illico.tv/rideshakedown

Unique competition format

What distinguishes the Ride Shakedown and contributes to its success is first and foremost its competition format, a laid-back and festive environment where the constraints on the athletes are minimal. At the center of the action, the public benefits from an accessible and entertainment-packed show. At the Ride Shakedown, the athletes participate in a Slopestyle competition, which involves mastering two distinct disciplines: the Big Air and a rail with different features which is only unveiled on the first day of the competition, a long-awaited day for the athletes and spectators. The professional athletes are the essence of the show, however the amateurs also play an important role and will make a valiant effort to mark their place among the pros. New talents are discovered every winter!

Partners of the Ride Shakedown presented by Videotron

The 12^th Canadian edition of the Ride Shakedown is made possible thanks to the support and participation of Ride Snowboards, title sponsor, Videotron, event presenter, Mont Saint-Sauveur, Empire, Oakley, Coors Light, Rockstar as well as XtraSlush, POP Headwear, Youdeal.com, Snowboard Canada Magazine, Moog Audio, 33mag.com, Transworld Snowboarding, Consignaction, Troublemakers, NRJ and Virgin Radio.

Follow us on your social networks:

About Ride Snowboards

For passionate snowboard enthusiasts of all ages, Ride represents an uncompromised, fun-at-all-costs approach to life. Founded in Redmond, Washington, in late 1992, Ride hit the market with a vision - to create a snowboard company for the people, built upon technical innovation, superior quality and living the dream. Today, based in Seattle, Ride continues to stay true to its original goals. For Ride, it’s not about being the biggest; it’s about being the best at what they do. Offering a full range of quality boards, boots, bindings, apparel, helmets and more, Ride has worked tirelessly to maintain its distinct brand identity and has firmly established itself as a leader in the snowboard industry, doing business in 53 countries through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and distributor network. For the latest, visit www.ridesnowboards.com. 

Dizzle Entertainment, architects of the Ride Shakedown

Brendan O’Dowd and Patryck Bernier, founders and partners of Dizzle Entertainment, have been offering event-oriented design, marketing and management services since 2004, to which they have afterwards added expert advice services for designing snowboard parks. Today, Dizzle is credited with major accomplishments including design, branding and management of the snow parks for Mont Saint-Sauveur International, the Vans Hi Standard series, Bromont Nuit Blanche, the Junior Futur Pro Tour competitions and the Ride Shakedown, the international snowboarding competition. For more information: www.dizzleinc.com.